Faithful Servant
by Pyro-Maniac Gnome
Summary: As the Fire Lord’s wife lay dying the seer took pity on her and told her a powerful secret. Unbenowst to them, a lone figure in the shadows heard their every word. Who can judge the importance of a single necklace and the fate of a newborn child?
1. An Unwelcome Listener

Disclaimer- I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters used in this story.

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Summary: A phrophecy was spoken. A destiny was revealed. But the outcome of the war still hangs in the balance. What will decide who wins? Zula is the only obstacle the Avatar might not be able to beat, but perhaps that doesn't mean that Zula will determine the outcome. Maybe instead it be an innocent nobody who accidently overheard the seer's words. I guess this could be considered slightly AUish since I am making up my own beginning since I start before when the series starts. My fanfic will also probably take a totally different course than the show. I promise I won't do anything to conflict with the fist 13 episodes, though. 

Warnings: death and violence

Pairings: You have to wait and see (muhahahahaha...), but romance will be nonexistant till later chapters.

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Chapter 1- An Unwelcome Listener

Lady Yatou could feel the life slowly draining out of her. She was going to die; the birth had just been too much for her frail body. It had been a miracle enough when she survived the birth of her first child a year ago, but this time she was not so lucky.

Yatou laid on the bed in the darkness staring at the crib beside her. The crib that contained the child she had given birth to, the one that was the reason she is now dying.

The large drapes in front of the windows blocked any sunlight from entering the room. Candles throughout the room were lit and gave off an iridescent glow in the room that flickered across the walls. Save for the child's small whimpers and Yatou's own labored breathing the room was quiet. Only she and the child were in the room. She would die alone.

Everyone had left her. Yatou's husband had stormed out of the room when he had found out she had born a girl instead of the hoped-for baby boy. He had wanted another son, not a weak little girl. The doctors also left her when they realized there was nothing they could do to save her.

So now she found herself facing the terrifying aspect of dying by herself. No one was there to comfort her or at least give her the reminder that there was life somewhere instead of just the death that she could taste. Maybe her husband will come back. Maybe Ozai will forgive her in time to be with her when she died. Maybe.

The door to the room creaked open and Lady Yatou could hear footsteps. She expectantly looked up. It wasn't Ozai. No, instead the person she heard entering was an old woman that was hobbling into the room. The old woman moved in slow, painful steps that betrayed she had long since left the prime of life.

The old woman's head was held high even while she was struggling to walk. An air of importance seemed to hang around the woman that would command the attention of anyone near her. Yatou noticed with a shiver that the woman's eyes seemed to glow in the dark room.

"Who are you?" Yatou asked of the stranger. What prompted this woman to come here? To the room with a dying nobody that once was a proud Lady and an unwanted child. Had she come to gawk at the girl, to see the failure of the royal family?

"My name is Manilae and I was sent here."

"Who sent you and why?"

"Who sent me isn't important, but I was sent to look into your child's future. I am a seer."

Yatou nodded to show the woman she heard her and began once again to stare in the darkness. Death was approaching. The seer began to walk; not towards the crib as expected, but rather to the bed with the dying woman.

"You are very upset. Why do you insist on leaving this life with such sadness?" asked a quiet voice beside Yatou.

"Does it matter?" Lady Yatou did not want pity, especially from a forgotten seer sent on an unexpected errand to prophecy for the royal child.

"Very well," the old woman told Yatou as she turned to look inside the crib instead. A few seconds passed and then the Lady heard a sharp intake of breath from the seer. Had the old woman not known the royal child was a girl? Did she just now realize Yatou's failure?

"Yes, the child's a girl. Not a glorious son to make the royal family even stronger, but rather a weak girl," Lady Yatou spat out.

The seer heard the bitterness in the Lady's voice. It was not the gender that had surprised her. Perhaps she should tell the Lady was had actually shocked her, what had really come to her as such a surprise. No, it was best kept a secret. The seer turned to look at Yatou.

"The girl will grow into a woman with ambitious plans and devious schemes," the seer began to prophecy to Yatou, "But I feel no happiness in her life, onlypain and hate instead."

So her child was destined a life of pain. Yatou began to feel pity for the little girl she would never get to see grow-up, but shadows from the past created pity for herself that soon overwhelmed her. The girl will lead a life similar to mine, cursed to live as lonely as I did. Yatou felt bitter against the hard blows life dealt her, and soon became lost in memories of her hard life. She will be forgotten and pushed aside like I was, probably be married to whoever is the best match instead of for any love. She will become a useless trinket whose only purpose is to bear boys to help carry on a family name.

The pressing pain, however, of the approaching death soon jerked her back to reality. Strength was leaving her. She glanced beside her and saw that the seer was standing next to her, just standing there and looking at her with those glowing eyes.

"So I'm to die giving birth to a no-name girl?" Yatou asked of the old woman. The seer paused and began to wonder is she should perhaps tell the mother what else she saw in the child's future. Maybe it would help the Lady die more peacefully and there was no one the dying woman could tell.

"You will die shortly, but the child you gave birth to is not a no-name. In fact, before everything is over I can guarantee most of the world will know her name."

"How is that possible? Did you not see what my child is? Even my husband is angry that the child I born is a weak girl."

"Just because she is a girl does not mean she will be weak. She will grow up to become even stronger than her older brother. In fact, she will become more powerful than anyone else in the Fire Nation. This girl Fire Lord Ozai is so disappointed in will be the only person who can stand against the Avatar."

"The Avatar? The Avatar is gone. Who cares is she can defeat a long gone entity?"

"The Avatar is coming back and will be sent to defeat the Fire Nation. He will have the ability to bring the greatest nation to its knees. Only this girl can stop him. The outcome of this entire war rests with your child."

Yatou's eyes widened as the magnitude of the prophecy began to sink in.

"It will be hard for the girl, however. Life will not smile easily on her. Pain and hardships will flock around her and hate will begin to consume her."

"Is there no hope for my child?" Yatou whispered. The seer paused to try to think of something that might help. She wanted to give the dying woman the comfort of knowing life would go easier for the child. The seer unclasped the necklace around her own neck and tied it around the child's tiny wrist.

"Perhaps this will assist her during the hardships. I cannot do anything to help with the rest."

Yatou weakly nodded and could feel that death was moments off. Pain was beating through her and tormenting her every waking moment. Yatou would never had guessed death could hurt this much. She just wanted to let eternal unconsciousness claim her, but she needed to hold on just one minute longer. She had one last thing to do.

"Do me one favor—tell Ozai… the name I picked… for the child." Yatou was finding it harder and harder to breathe, let alone talk.

"I will."

"… tell him… the name… is… to be… Zula…" The Lady whispered as the last of her strength seeped out of her into the darkness. The seer watched as the Lady Yatou drew her last breath. The pain was finally over.

There died the only person the seer had told about the prophecy. The secret was safe. The old woman looked one last time at the sleeping baby and then slowly walked out the door. She needed to tell the Fire Lord the child's name.

The seer was wrong, however. The secret had not died with Lady Yatou. Hidden deep within the shadows was a small figure crouched in the darkness. The dangerous words of the prophecy had reached their ears; words they would never forget.

The small girl crept out of her hiding place after the old woman left. Timidly, she looked at the bed where the dead woman laid. Guilt consumed her and she was sure that everyone would find out what she had overheard. She cringed as she considered that her thoughts were perhaps whispers that found their way into every ear. They would all know that she carried a deadly secret, somehow they would know.

Perhaps the woman lying on the bed will jerk to life to tell everyone. The woman would point her finger at her and accuse her. The dead might come back to life to tell of the little girl's horrible deed. She did not mean to overhear anything. She had hid in the room before the birth took place so she could see the newborn royal infant.

Fear kept her in her hiding place after the Fire Lord and doctors left; the fear that the Lady would be mad that a servant's daughter had snuck in the room. So she remained in the shadows even as the seer entered the room. She knew such a powerful seer would know someone else was in the room. She had known the old woman would detect her and find her hiding place, but the seer never even glanced her direction. The old woman had not sensed anything at all about the little girl hiding in the room.

The young girl tip-toed over to the crib to see the baby. She peered inside and looked at the infant. She marveled at how such a small thing could grow so powerful as to be able to defeat the Avatar.

A small glint made the girl turn her attention to the necklace wrapped around the baby's wrist. It was a small pendant of an ornamentally carved dragon. The dragon had small rubies for eyes that flickered blood red as the candlelight reflected in it. The moving flames reflected in the rubies created the illusion of life behind the dragon's eyes. Fascinated, the girl stared at it.

The baby opened its eyes and stared at her. The stare broke the girl's reverie and suddenly she remembered her fear. What if someone learned of what she did? She had to get out of the room before someone found her.

The girl snuck out the door leaving the room behind her, and with her she carried a secret that she would dare not tell anyone.

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8 Years Later

A sharp jerk on her hair made Zula whirl around to face the perpetrator. Her brother stood in front of her with a huge grin on his face.

"Hey! What was that for?" Zula demanded of him. What made him think he could do that to her? Zuko momentarily frowned and then a big smirk grew on his face.

"Well, _someone's_ mad today. What's the matter? Get in trouble for accidentally catching the furniture on fire again?" Zuko said tauntingly. Zula was in no mood for jokes. In a fit of anger she threw a small fireball at her brother. The small flame hit his hand and he yelped as it made contact with his skin. Zula was proud to see slight burn on the back of his hand.

"Serves you right. You should know better than to not pay attention, but you were too busy being a jerk," Zula pointed out to him.

"You shouldn't do that, you know."

"Do what?"

"Firebend. My friend Lekto says girls shouldn't firebend."

"Nu-uh."

"He did too! He said it isn't proper."

"What would Lekto know about proper?"

"His mentor told him. Girls shouldn't firebend."

"So? Father doesn't mind that I do."

"If he even knows…"

"What's that supposed to mean? He cares enough to pay attention to what I do!"

"Don't get so defensive, I didn't say that."

"Yeah right! I know what you meant—get away from me!" Zuko shrugged and followed Zula's command. What was she so worked up about?

Zula watched him leave and fought back the urge to call him back. Maybe she did get too angry over nothing. After all, she didn't get to see her brother much, but then again he was being just plain irritating today. Mentioning how distant Father was toward her was a low blow.

Angry at herself for getting so easily hurt by Zuko's comment, she stormed out of the room and began to wander down one of the hallways. She was unsure about her destination, but she really didn't care. Anywhere was fine. All she cared about was distracting herself from her foul mood.

Perhaps it was her anger that made her pause in front of that particular doorway, or perhaps it was her terrible mood. Whatever the reason, Zula stopped in front of the doorway nevertheless. Beyond the opening, half-hidden by a curtain, was a set of stairs. Stairs that led down.

Curiosity began to feed on Zula as she wondered what the stairs led to. She knew they led beneath the palace, but she did not know what was down there. Zula never had a reason to go down there her entire life and she never bothered herself with it. However, as she was standing before the stairway an urge to go down them suddenly gripped her. The urge to discover the unknown behind the curtain started to become irresistible, and Zula decided to seek out the mysteries of what the stairs led to.

Zula began to descend down the stairs, down beneath the surface. Since this lowest part of the palace was underground, there were no windows to shine light into the stairway. Torches glittered along the walls and Zula had to rely on their feeble light to make sure she did not fall down the stairs. The stairway was small and closed in on either side of her. Zula began to feel uncomfortable and wondered if perhaps exploring down here had been a bad idea.

The stairway ended shortly, however, and Zula saw before her a vast hallway. Curiosity filled her once again and she started the long trek down the hallway. Small clanks and bangs echoed down the metal hallway. Dampness clung to her in the humid air and a musty smell hung in the air. Doorways lined the hallway, but they were closed and Zula dared not open them.

Moans drifted down the hallway and Zula paused listening to the sound. Venturing farther she discovered one of the doorways was open and that was where the sound was emanating from. She peered in. Two guards stood in the room with the Firebender masks on and were holding either arm of man dressed in a brown uniform with subtle highlights of green interwoven into the fabric. A small insignia in the center of his shirt captured Zula's attention. It was the Earth Kingdom symbol.

So the man was once an Earth Kingdom soldier. As she glanced at the bareness of the room as well as how the door to the room was constructed, she realized this was a cell. This once-proud soldier was a prisoner of the Fire Nation. His face was covered in cuts and bruises, his tattered clothing was in shambles, and he could barely stand. Zula was dubious as to where or not she liked the cell and began to back out of the room, but her back hit a solid object. Something was blocking her way out.

Zula turned around and looked-up to see what had obstructed her path. It was a towering man with elaborate robes with small flames dancing upon them. His powerful stature was intimidating as well as his irascible moods, and had always been for Zula. It was Fire Lord Ozai—her father.

Ozai glanced down at the little girl looking-up at him. Her eyes were wide and she kept glancing back at the prisoner. Stupid, weak little girl. Did a feeble prisoner scare her so much that she wanted to leave? He grabbed one of her arms and dragged her towards the center of the room. She needed to learn how to face fear, how to not back down. Fear only hindered people from becoming their strongest.

He shoved her in front of the prisoner so she could get a good look at the source of her fear. To his surprise she stood tall before the prisoner, refusing to show the fear he knew she was feeling. Even at only eight years old she understood what he was trying to do. So she learned fast, but that did not guarantee strength.

"The prisoner is ready for the interrogation, milord," one of the Fire Nation soldiers said. Interrogation? Now Zula understood why the prisoner looked so wretched. From what she gathered from whispers of gossip, the session before an interrogation was almost as bad as the interrogation itself. What happened during these sessions or the interrogations themselves, though, no one spoke of. The information the man carried must be important if the Fire Lord himself was conducting it. Ozai stepped forward and glared superciliously at the insignificant prisoner.

"I will not ask you more than I need to—why has an entire battalion of troops been sent to such a remote location as the Neyila Forest? Nothing. The prisoner was determined not to talk.

"What is the Earth Kingdom planning?" Still nothing.

"Answer me!" Silence.

The lack of response angered the Fire Lord, and he lashed a flaming fist forward to punch the prisoner in the stomach. It hit the man full force and he doubled over in pain, but still silence greeted the Fire Lord's ears.

"I warn you, you do not want to incur my wrath." Still no response. Ozai grabbed the man and easily threw him against the wall. There was a sickening crunch as the man's body slammed against the metal and he slumped to the floor. Zula winched. The Fire Lord towered over the prisoner and repeated the question once again.

"What are they planning?"

"… I… will… never… tell…"

"Very well." Zula stared wide-eyed at the scene unfolding before her. Ozai jerked the man back up by his arm and the man screamed in pain from the intense heat of Ozai's hand. The Fire Lord was angry. The heat burned through the cloth and began to feed on the prisoner's skin. Ozai had no doubt it would leave an ugly mark on the man's arm. Ozai pushed the man toward the Fire Nation soldiers and they grabbed the prisoner. Ripping the man's shirt off, they tied his arms to two columns in the center of the room. Time to make the prisoner talk.

The Fire Lord stepped back so he stood beside Zula. This would be fun to watch. Zula, on the other hand, was getting increasingly nervous. She knew her father could be harsh, but suddenly she was seeing a heartlessness in him she had never seen before. There was a side to her father she did not know. One of the Fire Nation soldiers grabbed a whip lying against a wall. Positioning himself behind the prisoner's back, the soldier flicked his wrist and the whip shot out, biting into the prisoner's skin. A short yell issued itself from the prisoner's mouth as the pain hit him, a sharp unyielding pain. The prisoner would relent before the pain would.

Several more waves of pain hit the prisoner as the whip continued to beat against him. Zula could see long lines of red on the man's back where the whip hit him. They looked like jagged cuts left from a predator's claw trying to prevent its prey from escaping. A predator filled with an animal fury bursting with the lust of blood. The blood of a sacrifice.

Incessantly the beating continued. The man could no longer feel anything but the unceasing blows of the whip against his back. The pain, the unbearable and unspeakable pain! It was flooding his awareness as he struggled to keep his resolve to remain silent. The pain! Would it never stop?

To his amazement the blows did stop. Deliriously he lifted his head to look around him. The Fire Lord stood before him, but there was no mercy in his face. Ozai produced a flame in his hand and brought it close to the prisoner's face. The flames leaned toward the prisoner and seemed eager to devour him. Fear began to creep into the prisoner. There was no earth to bend, no reassurance of a way to smother the flames if they were loosed upon him. No way to stop the fire that wanted to destroy him.

"What are they planning?" a low menacing voice asked him. The Fire Lord's other hand gripped his throat and began to squeeze. The lack of air added to his fright as the flame was brought closer to him.

"I suggest you start talking."

"…setting bases…hidden among the trees… wanted to be able to ambush… when Fire Nation came…"

"Excellent job. As a reward I'm going to return you to you country alive."

The hand around his throat let go as the flame near his head was extinguished. He gasped for air and wondered if the Fire Lord truly meant what he said. Zula smiled. Watching the man being hurt was torturous and she struggled the entire time not to show her discomfort to her father, but now the man was to go free. Her father did care. The two Fire Nation soldiers stood still a moment in confusion on the Fire Lord's promise, but then moved to release the prisoner from the chains.

"Wait." The Fire Nation soldier paused at hearing the command from their liege.

"He needs to be in those chains just a second longer. I want the Earth Kingdom to fear the Fire Nation. They need to be taught just who they are have been attempting to try to win against." Ozai reached for an item lying on the floor. Zula strained to see what it was. Surprise jolted through her as she recognized what it was—a branding iron. Ozai began to heat the metal with his other hand and Zula's stomach began to churn. Surely he wouldn't do it. The metal began to glow red hot and the Fire Lord advanced toward the prisoner.

"No, please, don't! I beg of you- reconsider! Don't! No!" the man pleaded as the Fire Lord drew closer. The Fire Lord circled the man so that he faced the back of him, and then firmly pressed the hot metal in to the middle of the man's back. A deafening scream filled the room after the soft hiss sounded of heated metal coming in contact with cool skin. Zula covered her ears as she fought the urge to be sick. The Fire Lord pulled the iron back and the mangled skin on the prisoner's back was clearly molded into the outline of a flame—the symbol of her nation.

The man fainted and Ozai motioned to the soldiers to release him. They began to carry the prisoner out of the palace, where they would board him on a ship destined for the Earth Kingdom. The Fire Nation would keep its promise. Ozai walked out following the soldiers and did not see the trembling girl in the corner of the room. Zula just stared at the area where the prisoner had been chained after they left.

Shakily, Zula gathered enough courage to walk out of the room. She slowly walked down the hallway towards the stairway and started to dread what might be behind the doors she never opened. Perhaps it was more prisoners with flames burned into their backs. She climbed the stairs back to above the darkness of the lower level and returned to the lit hallways of the palace. Hurrying down the corridors, she walked to her room. She had spent longer than she meant to in the lower level and sleep was fighting to overtake her. Usually she was in bed and asleep by now. Reaching her room, she entered and saw a nanny standing in the center of the room.

"Ready to go to bed?" the nanny asked the princess. The little girl nodded and the nanny thought the princess almost looked upset. She gently grabbed the girl's hand and led the girl to her bed. The princess crawled atop the bed and buried herself under the covers. The nanny manually extinguished the candles in the room so that it was dark. She quietly exited to let the princess sleep.

Zula was glad when the nanny left so she could be alone with her thoughts. Why did her father do something so awful? Zula didn't want to believe he was as cruel as to do such a thing without a good reason. That meant it had to be necessary. The Earth Kingdom needed to be shown that they are wrong to fight the Fire Nation invasion. The act had been totally justified. Relieved, Zula began to drift off to sleep. Totally justified. What else could it be?

That night Zula dreamed of burning whips, cold chains, and outlines of flames embedded in human flesh.

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Notes: 

For those of you wondering why I made Yatou devistated from giving birth to a girl, its because from what I understand this story is based on 14th Century feudal China. People were very sexist then, so I am working on the assumption the Fire Nation is too.Also, I have yet to see a female Fire Nation soldier in the show.


	2. Fiery Tapestry

Disclaimer- I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters used in this story.

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Okay, I forgot last chapter to mention Zula is a character the creators of Avatar said they are adding (they informed everyone at the San Diego Comic-Con). She is supposed to be 100 evil, and will be that in my fanfic when she gets older. At the moment in my fanfic she is 11 and has not really developed any real evil tendencies yet.

Also, I'm only going to be able to update about once a week because my teachers are INSANE. I've been spending the moment I get home after school till when I go to bed doing homework. No joke. On top of that I'm in marching band and we are going to start having competitions we travel to on Saturdays. It is going to be a push just to get one chapter a week posted.

And just on a side note—you are more than welcome to review to tell me you think I should change something in a chapter I've already posted. I have a drive to edit, so more than likely (if I find the time) I will probably go back and slightly rewrite chapters anyways. Want to know how much I have a drive to edit? If any of you read the first two chapter of "Falling Apart" that I posted, this is the rewritten version of that story. I accidentally made Zula out of character and then had a totally wicked plot twist come to mind that conflicted with the chapters I already posted, so I deleted the story and started over. I promise, though, not to delete it this time around no matter how bad I mess up. I've got to learn to finish what I start.

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Chapter 2- Fiery Tapestry

Takes Place 3 Years after the Last Chapter

(Zula is now 11 and Zuko is 12)

Zuko studied the Pai Sho game in front of him. His game pieces were scattered on the board in a loose formation—so much for developing a strategy. It was his turn and he was supposed to move. Too bad he couldn't decide which piece to move. Maybe if he could actually figure out his opponent's strategy he could stand a chance.

Maybe he should move the camellia¹ tile. Maybe he shouldn't. But it might be a good offensive move if he advanced the tile. Then again, it could leave a gap in his defense.

He hated this game.

His uncle just sat there calm and waiting. Zuko looked back at the game board. He might as well move the camellia tile; he couldn't think of any other play to make. Maybe he shouldn't… too bad, he was going to try it. He quickly moved the game piece before he could change his mind.

Iroh eagerly leaned forward and moved one of his game pieces. The lotus tile. An obscure game piece most people never paid attention to.

"I win," Iroh triumphantly announced.

The twelve year old prince abruptly stood up. He ALWAYS lost! Why couldn't he ever win? This wasn't fair! Smoke began to billow from his hands. His anger was mounting.

"Calm down, Prince Zuko. You should really watch that temper of your," Iroh stated calmly.

Zuko glared at his uncle. Calm down? He wasn't upset! Okay, maybe he was.

Zuko struggled to contain his rage. Why did he always let his uncle talk him into playing this STUPID game? There wasn't even a reason to play it! If he couldn't win, what was the point of playing?

The smoke coming from Zuko's hands did stop, even if Zuko could not clear the glare off his face. It was his uncle's fault. He ALWAYS tricked him into playing this game!

"The key to winning, Prince Zuko, is not in simple strategy. While you want to guess what your opponent is trying to do, you yourself must become unpredictable. You need to employ unexpected moves and unusual thinking to outsmart your opponent. In a way, the best strategy is not to have a strategy."

Zuko just continued to glare. Why should this matter to him? He was going to be the Fire Lord someday. How would strategy for a Pai Sho game help him?

Iroh chuckled. His nephew had such a stubborn streak in him.

"Up for another round?" Iroh asked the young prince.

"I refuse to play this any longer," Zuko said. He didn't care if he was pouting, this game was stupid.

"Please."

"No!"

"Can't you play just one more game for your elderly uncle?"

"…alright," Zuko reluctantly agreed. Now he had to play yet another round of this detestable game. How did his uncle always manage to do this?

_Just because she is a girl does not mean she will be weak. She will grow up to become even stronger than her older brother. In fact, she will become more powerful than anyone else in the Fire Nation. This girl Fire Lord Ozai is so disappointed in will be the only person who can stand against the Avatar._

The moment I am waiting for is drawing nigh.

That single revelation drifted through the subconscious of a slumbering spirit trapped within the confines of a small boy's body—a body with airbender tattoos. The boy was but a small remnant of a mighty people once called the Air Nomads. Their temples, now, stand empty and silence fills the air where they once lived, only he remains. He is more than just the last Air Nomad, though. He is the Avatar.

The Avatar spirit knew it is to be reawakened soon, for the world needs it. The spirit of the Avatar and the body it inhabited, however, still drifted unconscious in an incasing of ice. The cold sleep separated from time was to end soon. A warmth was seeping into the ice—the warmth of a flaming comet just six years off. Fate is going to send someone to it, the Avatar could feel it. Soon, sometime soon, someone would be sent.

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The girl will grow into a woman with ambitious plans and devious schemes. But I feel no happiness in her life, only pain and hate instead._

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In her dream, Zula was older and one of the most feared soldiers in the Fire Nation. The Fire Nation did not care she was a girl. To them she was a warrior.

She had been separated from the rest of the troops in her dream, and then found by Earth Kingdom troops. She stood in a dirt clearing and faced three Earth Kingdom soldiers. They stared warily at her and waited for her to make the first move.

Charging forward, Zula let loose a blast of fire aimed at one of the soldiers. The flame moved too fast for the soldier to block it and it hit him squarely in the chest. He screamed as the force of the contact knocked him over.

Two of the soldiers advanced in unison towards her. Zula let loose a barrage of fire to slow their attack, but while she was distracted the first soldier snuck up behind her. He grabbed her arm and threw her to the ground.

She started to push herself up, but a foot pressed down in the middle of her back and she found herself pinned against the ground. She would not let herself be defeated by mere Earth Kingdom soldiers. She was a warrior.

Her hand flared with a violent flame and she grabbed the leg of the soldier pinning her down. The flame burned through the cloth and the soldier quickly drew his leg back. His companions became angry and they roughly grabbed Zula, pulling her to her feet.

Two of them held her arms while another took out a knife. She struggled against their grip as the one soldier looked at her with murder in his eyes. He lunged forward with the knife and she spewed fire from her mouth.

The soldier gasped as he dropped the knife and cradled his burnt hands. Flames bit the two soldiers restraining her and Zula pushed them aside. Angry expressions played on their faces as they morphed into wolves. The three wolves jumped at her in unison and she swept an arc of fire in front of her to protect herself. The wolves retreated, snarling. She stood in front of them a second and was surprised when the wolves began to run. She ran after them, feet pounding on the dirt, determined to capture them.

One of Zula's legs plunged into the ground and she leaned back to balance herself. Her other leg, too, began to sink into the dirt. No, it was no longer dirt. It was snow. The entire clearing was now covered in snow. The wolves were now gone.

Suddenly, she also became her real age. Gone was the proud Fire Nation armor, instead she had on a simple red dress. She was only plain 11 year old Zula again.

She struggled to walk in the snow and peered into the blinding white to try to see what was going on. She began to feel the cold of the snow seep into her bones. Zula hated the cold.

She began to try to melt the snow by hearting her inner fire up. Funny, nothing happened. Was it so cold here that even firebending did no help?

The wind began to blow harder and swept the snow towards her. Zula ran for the nearest snow bank she saw and pressed against it in an attempt to block the wind, but it did no help. The wind continued to relentlessly beat against her, and she felt colder… colder… colder…

Zula sat straight-up in bed and tried to remember what woke her. She half-thought it was her dream, but she suddenly could not remember it. The word "cold", however, seemed to linger in her head. Speaking of cold, it was chillier than normal in her room. She slipped out of her bed to investigate the source of the temperature change.

She started to walk around and began to notice how dark it was in her room. Not that she was scared of the dark, of course, but how could she find the source of the problem if she couldn't see anything?

She willed the candle in her room to burst into fire, but they remained still. With a shiver, Zula noticed the room seemed to be getting colder. And her room was so dark. So empty- the coldness seemed to have sucked the life out of everything. Stumbling forward in the dark, Zula found the door to her room and flung it open. She ran into the hallway, hoping for some warmth. It was the same as her room.

Desperate Zula began to walk down the hallway, not knowing what else to do. Her footsteps echoed hollowly as she walked and she became aware of her own insignificance compared to the giant hallways of the palace. The cold metal walls began to leer and lean in towards her, making her cringe in an attempt to become a smaller target… after all, a smaller prey was harder to attack.

So now she was prey?

The hollow echoes that rang back to her began to whisper about the cold. The coldness is what makes everything so empty, so void of life, they said to each other. All of this is because of the cold. You can't escape it. The coldness is because of you.

It's so cold, so very cold.

Empty, so empty.

Hollow.

She began to walk faster as the walls closed in tighter. You are hollow, just like us. The echoes began to bite at her heels as she began to run. Cold, so very cold. Why are you cold? She began to hate the cold, dark hallway that was whispering to her. Coldness. Run all you want, you can't escape it. Watch me, she thought. Running harder she rounded a corner only to be greeted by an extension of the hallway.

It's so cold. It's so empty. Pressing forward she still ran to try to escape the echoes. Why do you think you can escape the cold? Run faster. Keep running, see if it does any help. Go ahead. She tripped in her hurry and fell sprawled out onto the floor.

Empty, everything's empty. She curled into a ball shutting her eyes tightly. She felt for her necklace, the one of the dragon, and clutched it in an attempt to ward off whatever was there.

She thought she heard footsteps overlapping with the noises already present. She peaked open her eyes and they focused on brown shoes that stood by her face. She thrust an arm pleadingly at the shoes as things began to lose focus. Someone kneeled by her and said her name.

"Its cold," she told them. How else could she explain this feeling? Strong arms wrapped around her and began to carry her, cradled in their arms. A strong wave of heat hit her, and Zula knew that a firebender must be carrying her. She leaned into the warmth and felt it help keep the cold at bay. The evil, hollow cold. She shivered as the heat began to spread through her body, but the center of her remained cold. Not just cold, but empty. Save me from this coldness, she thought as darkness overcame her.

* * *

Zhao had stayed up late that night in the council room talking to Admiral Weng. Weng had called him there to inform him that he had been recently promoted to Captain. Captain Zhao. It had such a nice ring to it.

He was to leave the next morning, in charge of his new ship, to help with a blockade. Apparently one of the Earth Kingdom ports they had blocked had found a way to sneak some ships out. The Fire Lord had been less than pleased at the news and had demanded that several more ships should go join the blockade. Starting tomorrow morning life was finally going to get exciting.

When he had been walking to his room that night leaving the council room, he had no intention to staying-up any later that night, especially not to help some invalid. However, things did not go exactly to plan.

At first, he thought he saw a pile of rugs on the floor in the dark hallway. As he approached closer he saw that it was a person lying on the ground, and they were moaning as if nightmares were plaguing their dreams. Why would someone be sleeping in the hallway?

The Captain cautiously stepped closer to the body on the floor and noticed two disturbing things at the same time. First off, this person was awake. Their eyes were tightly closed as if to help hide them from whatever invisible demons were after them, but he could tell from their movements they were wide awake. Their hand, also, was tightly gripped around a necklace that they wore. Second, this was no ordinary person. This was the princess.

Unsure of what to do the Captain just stood there a moment and that's when she first noticed him. She had moved her head his direction and opened her eyes. She weakly raised an arm toward his shoes and then it just dropped limply. He knelt next to her to see what was wrong and softly said her name hoping to draw her attention.

"Its cold," she told him. The words themselves held nothing of importance, but the way she said them alerted him to the fact there was a deeper meaning hidden behind the words. He looked at her a moment trying to decide what to do when he noticed that her eyes were still open, but they had become unfocused.

The Captain quickly decided that the best course of action was to get her to a doctor. The medical room was just a few hallways down. Perhaps he should carry her? He didn't see any other choice; she was too weak to walk there herself.

The Captain gently picked her up and began to carry her to the medic room. Why had she said it was cold? The hallway was warm, just like any other place in the Fire Nation palace. Her skin was smooth, not covered in goose bumps as it would be if exposed to cold air. Something else had to be causing the feeling. He noticed as she began to lean into the heat he was generating with his firebending. So she felt the temperature change—that meant that her skin was not totally oblivious to the air.

Why was she feeling cold then? And why didn't she do anything about it? She could have put on warmer clothes or used firebending to keep herself warm… she was a firebender, right? Yeah, both the Fire Lord's children were firebenders. In fact, now that he thought about it, he thought he remembered her training.

His thoughts were interrupted when he notice he had arrived at the medical ward. The Captain stepped through the doorway and looked about for a doctor. There was one standing beside a patient's bed making them drink some concoction he must have brewed-up for them. The Captain cleared his throat and the doctor turned to them. The doctor motioned for him to lay the princess on the nearest vacant bed. As he gently put her on the bed the doctor walked over to them.

"What's wrong with her?"

"I'm not sure- I found her on the floor in one of the hallways. She complained that it was cold."

"Cold?"

"Feel her skin." The doctor reached forward and wrapper his hand around on of her arms. He looked-up with confusion on his face.

"She's a Firebender, right? Why isn't she using it to heat herself up?" the doctor mused to himself out loud.

"I think she can't."

"What would cause someone to lose their firebending abilities?"

"I had hoped you would be able to answer that."

"An unusual fever would be my guess. It is obvious she can't think clearly either. It has to be a fever." The doctor paused as a look of concern swept over his face.

"Her skin is starting to get cold," the doctor told the Captain. She was getting worse? The doctor looked closely at the sleeping princess for a minute. He suddenly reached forward and shook her, jarring her awake. Zula just sat there and blinked several times. The state of confusion stayed on her face as her eyes focused on things that weren't there.

Cold. Empty. Hollow².

"Make sure she stays awake," the doctor told him, "Whenever she is asleep she stops fighting it. She needs to keep fighting. I'm going to try to mix her something to bring the fever down."

The Captain nodded and the doctor moved to one of the tables in the center of the room. The Captain turned his attention back to the girl sitting on the bed. The girl began to relax and close her eyes. He reached forward and shook her.

"You can't fall asleep. If you want to live you have to stay awake."

She wanted to live; yes, she wanted to live so badly. But sleepiness was clouding her mind. Why was she so cold, so empty? Stay awake is what the man had commanded her to do, but she was not sure she could do it. She began to close her eyes and he shook her again. Why couldn't the man just let her sleep?

Zula tried hard to stay awake, truly she did; but after a few minutes she felt herself relax again. This time when he shook her Zula's body just ignored him. It wanted sleep. A hand struck her against her face and she jerked awake. Stunned, she raised a hand to put it on the stinging cheek. Why had he slapped her? She just sat there a minute and then the doctor came towards her.

The doctor force a burning liquid down her throat. Zula gagged on it, but she managed to get it down. Her headache sharpened and the room began to blur. A burst of heat spread through her and threatened to engulf her. What was happening?

_

* * *

The Avatar is coming back and will be sent to defeat the Fire Nation. He will have the ability to bring the greatest nation to its knees. Only this girl can stop him. The outcome of this entire war rests with your child._

* * *

Ozai stared at the map in front of him. It was the map of the world.

The small continent to the west was completely red. That was the glorious Fire Nation, his domain.

Scattered throughout the map were large white islands, once the home of the Air Nomads. They were no longer of concern.

At the top and bottom of the map were blue continents. That was the Water Tribes' territory. The Water Tribes were nothing but weak people already nearly conquered from periodical Fire Nation raids.

But right there, to the East, was the largest continent. Colored brown, its impressive size was formidable, even if on just a map. The Earth Kingdom.

However, throughout the sea of brown, were red splotches—the parts already conquered by the Fire Nation. The red was reaching toward the heart of the Earth Kingdom, the city of Ba Sing Se.

That single dot on the map indicated where the city stood. A single dot represented the one obstacle that kept the Fire Nation from winning the war. Even the Avatar had long since been eliminated. The Fire Nation had managed to take out an immortal spirit, but they could not conquer that single city.

A strategy. That is what he needed to bring that impregnable city to its knees. That, however, was his brother's realm. Iroh was a master at strategy. However, it was hard to get any strategy of war out of his brother. Iroh was simply too passive and did not approve of war. He would rather waste time baby-sitting my son.

How weird those words sounded. My son. They felt so foreign. Ozai did not have time to waste thinking about the prince. Of course, he spent time making sure the prince was being properly trained. After all, the Fire Lord reasoned, the prince will be my heir when I die. Hopefully, by that time, I will have succeeded in conquering the world. The entire world will bow to me and my descendants.

Night had long since crept up to the palace while the Fire Lord was thinking. Ozai knew he should stop trying to think of a plan and just go to his room to sleep. The problem of Ba Sing Se, however, was too pressing. Something needed to be done. The key to the entire war was in the forefront of his mind. He was the Fire Lord. He could do without sleep.

One of the many tapestries in the room captured the Fire Lord's attention. Its fiery background curled around a figure bravely fighting in the midst of a battle. The figure was Fire Lord Sozen. Ozai looked at his father and then turned his attention to the upper left corner of the tapestry. There, woven with great care, was a comet. The comet that came every hundred years. A slow smile spread on the Fire Lord's face. He knew how he was going to make Ba Sing Se nothing but a pile of rubble abandoned in a waste land.

* * *

Notes:

1) Camellia is the name for certain evergreen shrubs or small trees native to Asia. Since a lotus is a white lily important to Asia, especially for religious purposes, it seemed like camellia was a feasible name for a tile.

2) Quick note on why she feels "empty", "cold", and "hallow". Chances are a firebender constantly has the feeling of a small fire on the inside of them (maybe not, just a guess). If suddenly that fire you have had on the inside all your life went away, you would certainly feel like you were cold and missing something. Just wanted to explain.

* * *

Note to Hotspur:

I was completely surprised when I checked my reviews for my poem and saw you were one of the reviewers. Believe it or not, the only reason I wrote that poem is because earlier that day I had read your "Iroh to Ozai" poem and it left such a big impression on me. Then I found out you also marked my poem as a favorite! That is so cool that the person I got the inspiration from liked it so much. Apparently you also liked my poem enough that you decided to grace my story with a review too. Wow… that totally made my day. Maybe even my week. That is so cool! Sorry, I just still can't believe that you liked my poem. Maybe I should write more poetry…


	3. Dragon Eyes

Disclaimer- I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters used in this story.

Author's Note:

I am really really really really sorry about how long it takes between updates. Its insane how busy I am. I did not even have time to watch the new Avatar episode this week when it aired, so I set my VCR timer to record it. I was busy clean up to today so I didn't even get to watch it till just a few hours ago. By the way, the new episode was AWESOME... even if did deal a crippling blow to Zutara fans such as myself. But Aunt Wu said "powerful bender" not "Avatar", so Zuko and Katar still have a chance, right? Please?

Anyways,a HUGE thank-you to the people who took the time to review my story. In response to triquetraperson's question, I have no clue when season two starts but I think you were asking when Nickelodeon would begin airing the rest of the first season. It kindaresumed this past Friday so I hope someone else told you in time for you to see it. If not,the episodeis going to be on again this next Saturday so you'll still get to see it. You'll just have to wait another week, whichwill betotally my fault for not telling you in time. Please forgive me! I really hope someone told you in time...

Okay, done with all that stuff. Now on with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 3- Dragon Eyes**

The doctor gave Zula a concerned look as she started to pull back as if something was burning her. The medicine should not have any effect like that; maybe it wasn't the medicine.The doctor watched as Zula'seyes widened in pain and then she suddenly slumped to her side unconscious. Panicking, the doctor moved to check her pulse. She was still alive, and she certainly wasn't cold anymore. The doctor looked perplexed at the girlwhile the Captain next to him moved restlessly. Zhao had to leave in the morning; he really had no reason to spend more time waiting around. The doctor no longer needed his help and all he was doing was standing here waiting to see whether or not she would live. The Captain decided to leave and began to walk out the door.

"Get the Fire Lord," the doctor called to him as he left.He did not have thetime, or the desire, to tell theFire Lord, butthe solution was easy enough.As he walked through the hallways he paused to go into a room where guards were quartered. He barged it and several of the soldiers woke up, just looking at him bleary-eyed and bewildered.

"One of you get the Fire Lord. Tell him his daughter is ill, maybe even dying," he barked at the idiots who were staring at him. He walked out of the room determined to get some sleep before he left tomorrow. The soldiers looked at one another.

"I'm not getting him," one of them said as he turned to go back to sleep, "He doesn't take bad news very well."

"Hey Hevah, you get him."

"No way. You can get him. I would prefer to keep my head intact."

"Well _someone_ has to get him," one of the soldiers pointed out to his comrades.

"Not me."

"I won't either."

"Find someone else."

"No way, no how."

"Are you kidding? Soldiers are expendable. I sure don't want to be the one around when the Fire Lord loses his temper."

The soldier sighed. They were going to have to find someone willing to tell the Fire Lord.

* * *

_You will die shortly, but the child you gave birth to is not a no-name. In fact, before everything is over I can guarantee most of the world will know her name."_

* * *

In the darkness Zula began to wonder if she was dead. If so, the afterlife was incredibly boring. There was nothing but darknessstretching across empty space. No—she could not be dead. She could still feel that fire raging within her, slowly burning her away. It ate at everything inside her, it was something too wild to contain. Suddenly her feeling of coldness earlier didn't seem quite as bad as it did. She grimaced in pain and wondered how long it would take her to die. She began to walk across the empty plain.

She could feel within her another flame suddenly flare, too, to join the one already there. It was a lot weaker than the first,and it seemed to try and shield her from the other fire. The thin wall it created between her and the stronger fire was slightly comforting in its own bizarre sense. The strong and the weak fire almost seemed to battle each other within her. It was strange, the sensation was both painful and fascinating at the same time.

Zula pressed forward in the darkness ignoring the battle within. She needed to know where she was at. She was strong, no fire would prevent her from trying to figure out where she was.

She bumped into something solid in the darkness. She reached a hand forward to feel what was obstructing her path. The curved surface of it felt hard and almost metallic, but it slightly stirred beneath her fingers suggesting that it was alive. She slowly backed up to look at what the black lump was in the darkness. A slight glow gathered around the dark lump and began to get brighter; and that's when Zula found herself face to face with a dragon.

It was a spirit, no doubt about that. It glowed blue and seemed slightly transparent. Zula stared in confusion at the sight in front of her. The dragon towered over Zula and its scales reflected the glow about it into silvery beams that pierced the darkness around it. Its tail suddenly moved to wrap itself around the dragon's legs, all while the dragon lazily stared at Zula. She looked at it cautiously as she tried to remember where she had seen this dragon before. There were many drawings, carvings, tapestries, and statues of dragons throughout the Fire Nation. Where had she seen this particular one before?

_

* * *

The seer paused to try to think of something that might help. She wanted to give the dying woman the comfort of knowing life would go easier for the child. The seer unclasped the necklace around her own neck and tied it around the child's tiny wrist.

* * *

The seer had been the spokeswoman for Fate her entire life and only now, at the end of it, was she actually beginning to understand Fate. It had all been so connected, a part of a plan. She had thought nothing of it when she had given the child her necklace. It had just been a sudden impulse that had seized her and refused to let go._

She had prophesied how powerful the girl would become. Simple enough, she was just saying what Fate was telling her would happen.

She had given the Fire Lord's daughter the necklace. Not so simple.

The necklace strengthened her own power; there was something powerful about the necklace. To give something like that up was no ordinary whim. Fate had done it. Fate had wanted her to give up the necklace as to make its prophecy come true. In a way she, the old woman, had made the prophecy become true without even knowing it.

The necklace. That simple piece of jewelry. That was how Zula was to become so powerful. The old woman found it slightly wondrous that what affected lives the most tended to be something small and simplistic; ordinary objects easily overlooked in the hustle and bustle of life. Fate, however, did not overlook such small things. Those who become the most successful are those who learn to use the most ordinary things to do wonders. Without that necklace, the girl would never become who she is to be.

Fate wanted to end the war. It believed the balance of the world was beyond fixing; no sense relying on the Avatar, a spirit hiding away where no one could find it, to ever find balance again. The only solution, Fate believed, was to unite the world under one rule. The Fire Nation's rule.

Fate was forcing its hand to make things go how it wanted. Fate would win, it could twist humanity how it wanted to just so it could get what it wanted. Nothing could deter Fate, it was a force no human could reckon with. Anyone who tried to mess with it was making a fatal mistake. The Fire Nation would win because Fate wanted it to. It was as simple as that.

But then again, Fate didn't count on anyone overhearing the prophecy. Someone even the seer did not know of.

_

* * *

A small glint made the girl turn her attention to the necklace wrapped around the baby's wrist. It was a small pendant of an ornamentally carved dragon. The dragon had small rubies for eyes that flickered blood red as the candlelight reflected in it. The moving flames reflected in the rubies created the illusion of life behind the dragon's eyes. Fascinated, the girl stared at it._

* * *

Now Zula remembered where she saw the dragon before, it was the one from her necklace. Zula constantly wore her necklace because it was said to have been given to her by her mother. To consistantly wear it seemed to only honorable thing to do. After all, she was related to that woman by blood even if she never met her.

Had this dragon been her mother's? Whomever it used to serve, the dragon was obviously an animal guide.Odd, the only animal guides Zula ever heard of were the ones for the Avatars.

The rhythm of the dragon's breathing was slightly unusual, but it seemed alltoo familiar to Zula. It was the rhythm of the stronger fire still within her. That was when Zula began to piece everything together. The weaker fire inside her was her own, it was what had left her abandoned during her fever but now had returned. That other fire that was so eager to destroy, so much stronger than anything Zula ever felt before, was that dragon's fire. It had given it to her somehow.

Zula did not want its gift. The fire was stronger, yes, but much harder to control. The dragon snorted at her and she began to reconsider her decision. With that fire she could become the strongest Firebender, impossible to defeat. Forget the dangers, this was her chance. No, this might not be her chance. She could make do with the fire she had, she could still become strong. But not the strongest, that was the catch.

She did not have much time to decide, she could tell that from the impatient movements of the dragon. Till morning, that was all the time she needed. Just till morning. The dragon seemed to know her decision and the darkness faded. She was awake and back in the small cot in the medical ward. Till morning.

* * *

_It will be hard for the girl, however. Life will not smile easily on her. Pain and hardships will flock around her and hate will begin to consume her._

* * *

Pleased with his new strategy, Ozai began to carefully study the other tapestries in the room that he never paid attention to before. The tapestries hung on the metal walls in a perfect row, like a line of soldiers waiting motionless for a command from their Lord. Being of Fire Nation design, they all had flames intricately woven into their design. Weaving, dancing, winding—the flames elegantly curved into complex patterns reaching for the sky. Upward they climbed towards the heavens, home of gods; towards the direction the comet would appear.

Fire.

Element of beauty, power, and majesty. Master beyond the other elements.

Only it deserved to rule an entire world.

The sound of heavy footsteps distracted Ozai from his adoration of the tapestries. Someone approached the room and stood still in the doorway waiting for the Fire Lord to acknowledge his presence.

The Fire Lord glared at the man that had dared to disturb his thoughts. It was General Meroka, a man recently promoted to his position due to the death of one of the previous generals. And he had come at the request of several guards.

"What do you want, General?" Ozai demanded of the intruder.

"I am sorry to disturb you, sir, but a matter of utmost importance has come up."

Ozai growled. The Earth Kingdom was constantly causing trouble. No doubt they have broken through Fire Nation lines once again. The Earth Kingdom always pushed for more ground in a futile attempt to regain what they already lost. Couldn't they see they were fighting a losing battle? Soon, though, they would be conquered, never to disturb him again. What Meroka had to say, however, was far different from what Ozai expected.

"Your daughter, sir—she has taken ill. The doctors don't know what's wrong with her, they aren't sure if she will even live. If you wish to go see her…"

"I do not." Is that the news that the general had been so sure would be of importance to him? He had better things to do than worry about some weak little girl.

The general stared at Fire Lord Ozai. Not go to see you own child in what might be their last moments of life? Meroka had a family, he understood the love and protectiveness a father held for his child. No father would let his innocent children be hurt by anything. Meroka knew the feelings; he would even consider defying the almighty Fire Lord himself to help his children. How could the Fire Lord's daughter be so trivial to him?

"Gather the other generals. I have an important announcement to make," the Fire Lord commanded of him.

"But sir, your daughter…"

"Is of no importance. What becomes of her is her own doing. If she dies it is due to her own inability to live, not of mine. You are _dismissed_," Ozai spat at the subordinate general.

"Yes sir," came the submissive response.

Ozai looked upon the tapestry of the comet once again. This simple decoration, lost among the numerous rooms of the palace, was going to topple the only nation whose power rivaled his own. It was, all in all, a beautiful piece of art. The colors of the tapestry shone brightly. The flames on the tapestry dyed the cloth a brilliant red; red with the blood of the innocent that would be spilled.

It was time to finish what his father started.

A war that would begin and end with same comet, it sounded exactly like something spoke of in legends. A war destined to be exactly a hundred years, no more and no less. One hundred… and 93 of them had already been fought.

* * *

Dawn was breaking and Zula sat alone in the medical ward. The dragon was right, she did need that fire. No one became powerful by themselves. Even Ozai had his father Sozen to help him, while she had no one. She needed someone, and an animal guide was the solution. She fingered the necklace at her throat as she made her decision. She would become the most powerful and feared Firebender the world ever knew, and no one could stop her.

* * *

- 

Seven years left.

-

The countdown had begun...


End file.
